A devil is pursuing a female devil

2-4-2013 | IslamWeb

Question:

What is the ruling on breeding pigeons because there is a Hadeeth in which the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, described a man following a pigeon as a devil following a female devil?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

 

Abu Hurayrah, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, saw a man following a pigeon, so he said: “A devil is pursuing a female devil.” [Ahmad and Abu Daawood (Al-Albaani: Saheeh)]

Al-‘Atheem Aabaadi in his commentary on Sunan Abu Daawood, said, “This man was called a devil because of his keeping away from truth and being occupied with what does not concern him. He called it a female devil because it caused him to neglect the remembrance of Allaah. An-Nawawi, May Allaah Have Mercy upon him, said, ‘It is permissible without any reprehension to breed pigeons for sake of having young ones, eggs, or carrying letters. However, playing with them for the sake of racing is disliked. If gambling or the like is involved in the process of playing with pigeons, the person’s witness becomes rejected (in marriage and court).’”

Allaah Knows best.